kettle

kettle — noun

IPA/ˈketl/
KK[kˈɛtəl]IPA/ˈketl/
  • kettlesingular
  • kettlesplural

1. A household container that has a cover, a grip, and a pouring tube, used to heat

1.nounA2
Definition

A household container that has a cover, a grip, and a pouring tube, used to heat water until it bubbles.

Example

Hari filled the electric kettle with water and switched it on for his morning tea.

electric kettle + fill + switch on

The metal kettle on the stove whistled as steam poured from its spout.

stove-top kettle + whistle + steam from spout

Common collocations
  • fill the kettle
  • boil the kettle
  • electric kettle
  • the kettle whistles / boils
  • kettle spout / lid / handle
Synonyms
  • boiler

    a general term for a device that heats water, but not used for kitchen kettles in everyday speech

  • pot

    a broader cooking container; a pot does not have a spout and is not designed specifically for boiling water

Usage Note

Kettles are a standard kitchen appliance in the UK and many Commonwealth countries, where they are used several times a day for making tea. Electric kettles heat water faster than stove-top models.

Common Mistakes

Can you pass me the kettle?' (when asking for tea to be served).
Can you pass me the teapot?
A kettle heats water; a teapot is for steeping and serving brewed tea.

2. The friendly social habit of boiling water, especially the British custom of tur

2.nounB1
Definition

The friendly social habit of boiling water, especially the British custom of turning on the kettle to offer a guest a hot drink like tea or coffee.

Example

When the book club meets on Tuesdays, Tamar puts the kettle on before anyone sits.

put the kettle on for guests

After walking in the snowy park, Selim put the kettle on to warm everyone up.

put the kettle on after an outdoor activity

Common collocations
  • put the kettle on
  • stick the kettle on
Synonyms
  • boil the kettle

    a neutral alternative that works in all varieties of English, including American

  • stick the kettle on

    more informal British variant, common in casual conversation

Grammar Patterns

put the + kettle + on

Usage Note

Common in British English. The phrase 'put the kettle on' is a fixed social expression that implies starting the process of making a hot drink, not physically placing a kettle onto a surface.

Common Mistakes

I will put the kettle on the table.' (when meaning you are about to make tea).
I will put the kettle on.
Adding 'on the table' changes the meaning to a physical placement, not the act of boiling water for drinks.

3. A crowd-control method in which police surround a group of demonstrators with li

3.nounC1
Definition

A crowd-control method in which police surround a group of demonstrators with linked arms, vehicles, or barriers, preventing anyone from leaving the area.

Example

Police formed a kettle, linking arms to block exits and stop protesters reaching the government building.

form a kettle + purpose: stop marching

Several MPs criticised the kettle tactic for trapping innocent bystanders with demonstrators.

kettle as a policing tactic

Common collocations
  • form a kettle
  • use a kettle
  • inside the kettle
  • kettle tactic
  • kettle operation
Synonyms
  • containment

    the broader, more formal term for preventing a crowd from moving; less specific than 'kettle'

  • cordon

    a line of police preventing entry to an area, whereas a kettle prevents exit

Grammar Patterns

form a kettle

in / inside a kettle

Usage Note

This sense appears mainly in UK news coverage of demonstrations. It gained widespread attention after police used the tactic during the 2009 G20 summit protests in London. In formal legal writing, the term 'containment' is often preferred.

Common Mistakes

The kettle of protesters lasted three hours.
The kettle lasted three hours.
The word 'kettle' itself refers to the containment operation, not the crowd inside it.
Idioms

a different kettle of fish

idiom

A completely different type of person, situation, or thing from the one just mentioned — usually implying greater difficulty, complexity, or a distinct category.

Using a spreadsheet is straightforward, but writing a computer program from scratch is a different kettle of fish.

Nora can handle a small dinner party, but catering a wedding for two hundred guests is a different kettle of fish.

the pot calling the kettle black

idiom

A situation in which someone criticises another person for a fault that they themselves have, making the criticism seem hypocritical.

Beatrix complained that her colleague was always late — that is the pot calling the kettle black, coming from someone who never arrives on time.

When the manager told staff to stop wasting paper, several people whispered about the pot calling the kettle black.

kettle — verb

IPA/ˈket.əl/
KK[kˈɛtəl]IPA/ˈket̬.əl/

Word family

  • kettling
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Kettle, pot, pan, teapot, and cauldron are all containers used for cooking or heating food and drinks, but they serve clearly different purposes. A kettle is designed specifically for boiling water — it has a spout for pouring and a lid that traps steam, and it typically has one long handle. A pot is a deep, round container with two small side handles, used for cooking soups, stews, or pasta. A pan (or frying pan) is wide and shallow with a long handle, used for frying or searing food. A teapot is used for steeping tea leaves in hot water and then pouring the brewed tea; it is never placed directly on a heat source. A cauldron is a very large, heavy pot, often made of cast iron, associated with cooking over an open fire. For example: 'She filled the electric kettle and boiled water for tea.' Compare: 'He stirred the soup in the pot on the stove.'

potpanteapotcauldron

Common collocations

Nouns

  • water
  • steam
  • lid
  • spout
  • handle
  • tea

Prepositions

  • in
  • on (stove)

Etymology

LatinProto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word 'kettle' traces back through Old English 'cytel' (a vessel for boiling or cooking) to Proto-Germanic '*katilaz'. The Germanic word was borrowed from Latin 'catillus', a diminutive form of 'catinus' meaning 'a deep dish or bowl for cooking'. Over many centuries, the meaning narrowed from a general cooking pot to the specific water-heating vessel we know today. The policing sense arose in early-21st-century Britain as a metaphor — surrounding a crowd felt like trapping liquid inside a kettle.